One Night
by Nozomi Anshin
Summary: One night will change everything between 2 of the Gundam Pilots. But will it be for the better, or for the worse? Rated PG13 for language and innuendos. (Rating may go up later)
1. Prologue

**A/N:** this (the prologue) started out as just a little something to try and get the plot bunnies thinking again, and it worked, resulting in the other chapters.  The prologue and first chapter are rather short, but they should get a bit longer as the story continues.

**Disclaimer:** I own the box set of DVDs to Gundam Wing.  Unfortunately, owning the DVDs does not constitute ownership of the series.  Don't sue me, it's not like I'm making money off this crappy stuff I call fanfiction anyway.

Prologue

            Silence filled the line for what felt like eternity.

            "You…what?!"

            "Don't make me repeat it…"

            "But…how…"

            "How do you think?  I dunno, I was drunk, and, well…you know…"

            "Alright, that explains your end of the situation, but…"

            "I don't know!  I barely remember it!  One minute I'm ordering a drink, the next thing I know I'm waking up next to him with one helluva hangover!"

            "Then how do you know you…"

            "You know, man.  You know."

            "Oh hell."

            "You're telling me."

            "Have you talked to him?"

            "Are you kidding me?!  I may be nuts, but I'm not suicidal!  I got up and got the hell outta there as soon as I realized it!"

            "…so…what are you gonna do?"

            "I dunno…Avoid him the rest of my life, maybe.  I mean…well, fuck, man.  You know I wanted to, but…"

            "Not like that?"

            "Definitely not like that!  If it was gonna happen, well, I wanted it to mean something!"

            "Completely understandable.  But…do you really think it's a good idea to try and avoid him?"

            "Hey.  I never said it was a _good_ idea."

            "Haha.  Personally, I think I'd try to talk to him."

            "I know you would.  But I'm not you."  A pause.  "Hey…You have a mission with him coming up, don't you?"

            "Yeah, why?  I'm not going to talk to him for you…"

            "I wasn't even thinking that.  Just…well…could you try and see how he's taking it?  You know, space heart stuff."

            "Well, I'll try.  But you know how well he guards himself.  I can't make any promises on results."

            "I know, I know.  Thanks, man."

            "You're welcome."

            "Hey, I gotta go.  Mr. Personality himself is here."

             "Alright.   I'll give you a call after the mission, then."

            "Thanks again.  I owe ya."

            A light chuckle.  "Goodbye, Duo."

            "Bye, Quat."

**A/N:** Okay.  Let me know what you think!  I've got more written, so I'm going to post more soon, but I want reviews!  Thanks for making it this far!


	2. Chapter 1:Duo

**A/N: **Yet again with shortness on the chapter. I just couldn't get this one to be very long, so…shrug oh well. It's kinda filler stuff anyway.

As always, standard disclaimer applies. I don't own them. Wish I did.

Warning: language

Italics-usually thoughts, but on occasion for emphasis. I'll trust your judgment to know the difference.

Chapter 1

"Duo! Focus!"

"Huh? Oh, shit, sorry, Heero!" Duo yelled as he climbed into the OZ base's ventilation system behind his partner. _Man, this blows! I can't focus on the mission…and Heero's gonna kill me if I keep this shit up!_

Duo had called Quatre a week ago, and had yet to hear anything from the blond. The lack of response was getting to him, knowing that Quatre's mission should be over by now, and it showed. The American had been unusually loud during both of his missions since that phone call, and the Perfect Soldier was nowhere near tolerant; Duo had nearly blown their cover twice during the current mission.

_Focus, Duo.__ Not a sound. Don't want to die from Yuy's gun…and you will if you fuck this up again. Just a few more minutes, and you can be as big an idiot as you want._

Duo followed Heero through the vents silently, desperately fighting back the urge to make a comment about the nice view he had of Heero's spandex-covered ass at the moment.

They exited the ventilation system and hurried to their truck, which was hidden in the forest just off OZ grounds. Heero climbed into the driver seat, while Duo jumped into the passenger.

"Detonation device ready?" Heero asked as he sped off.

"Ready to go when you give the word," Duo replied enthusiastically.

"..You _did _ plant the explosives, right?"

"Of course! Jeezus, Heero. I know I've been scatterbrained lately, but I'm not a complete idiot!"

They drove in silence for a few more seconds, until they were safely out of the explosion radius.

"Now."

/Click!/ Duo detonated the explosives, and a second later the pair heard the satisfying explosion.

"Ninmu Kanryou."

"So. How long til we get to the new safehouse?" Duo asked.

"Twelve hours."

"Oi. Long drive. You gonna need me to take a diving shift?"

"No."

Duo shrugged. "Whatever. Wake me if ya change your mind."

"Hn."

Duo settled back into the seat, turning his gaze out the passenger window. Sleep was, however, the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. Why hadn't Quatre called? Was their mission that long? Had he been hurt…or killed?

_Don't panic, Duo. Quat's okay. Whatever his reason is for not calling, it's a good one. It has to be, or I'm gonna kill him._

He watched the trees flying past, trying to think things through. There was no way he could talk to him. He's about as easy to talk to as Mr. Perfect Soldier, and probably even less friendly due to the current…situation. He'd kill duo for bringing it up…unless…he didn't remember…

_That's it! If he doesn't remember, we can all go on like it never happened! Only me and Quat will know, and we won't tell a soul, living or dead. Everything will be just fine…as long as he doesn't remember…_

_ But what if he remembers? Then, I'm screwed…and not in that happy fun way…_FUCK!

"Duo?"

"Mm?"

"What're you yelling about?"

"Yelling?"

"You yelled 'fuck'."

_Oh shit…I said it out loud?!_ "Oh, sorry…just thinking…"

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"I'm cool. Really."

Heero shrugged and continued driving along the isolated road.

**A/N: ** Like I said, it's short. But I want a vote from anyone who happens to get this far. Do you guys think that "he" should remember what happened between "him" and Duo? In the next chapter, I'm kinda stuck because I don't know which way I should go. My own personal inclination is that "he" remembers, but I'm out to please the readers! So please, make your vote!


	3. Chapter 2:Quatre

**A/N: **Okay, here's chapter 2! Thanks to any who reviewed, hope this chapter won't disappoint!

As usual, I don't own them. Wish I did, but that one hasn't come true yet. So don't sue.

Warnings: just language...so far, at least.

On with the fun!

Chapter 2: Quatre

"Well, here we are!" Quatre chirped as he pulled the truck up to the safehouse. "Hm. Doesn't look like they're here yet…" he said softly.

"They?" Trowa asked, keeping his voice low. "Heero and Duo?"

Quatre nodded. 'Is WuFei asleep?' he mouthed silently.

Trowa nodded. "Yes."

Quatre let out a sigh of relief as he parked the truck. He turned around in his seat, tapping the Chinese pilot on the knee. "WuFei, we're here."

WuFei opened his eyes with a nod, unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the truck, grabbing his duffel bag from its place on the floor.

Trowa and Quatre grabbed their things as well and the trio headed inside. Without a word, WuFei headed down the hall toward the bedrooms, selected one, and entered it, shutting the door behind them, telling them that he was not to be disturbed.

Quatre sighed again.   
"He's been unusually quiet," Trowa commented, taking a book from his bag.

"Yeah." Quatre replied, a pained expression on his face.

"And irritable." Trowa set his bag down in the living room.

"Yeah."

"I wonder why…"

"Duo's arrival isn't going to help…" Quatre muttered to himself.

But Trowa heard. "You think so?"

"Trowa, I KNOW so," Quatre replied, setting his bag on the living room floor next to Trowa's for the time being. "Neither one knows the other will be here, and considering what happened…" He clapped a hand over his mouth with a gasp. _Oops! I forgot, Trowa doesn't know! Duo will kill me if I blab it to anyone!_

"What do you mean, 'considering what happened'?" Trowa asked, raising an eyebrow at the Arab's strange behavior.

"It-It's nothing, Trowa…I…I just have a bad feeling about it…that's all," he lied.

Trowa's still-arched eyebrow told Quatre that he didn't buy it, but he let the subject drop by going into the living room and taking a seat on the couch and opening his book.

Quatre sighed. _Thank you, Trowa. For not pressing it._

_._

_._

A few hours later, Quatre heard the tell-tale sound of tires crunching along the gravel path that led to the safe house.

"They're here," Trowa concluded as Quatre stood up and headed to the window.

The blond nodded. "And now the fun begins," he whispered to himself.

The door opened to reveal a very tired Heero and an unusually quiet Duo.

"Q-Quatre? What are you doing here?" Duo asked, his face paling a few shades.

"This is our safe house as well, for a while," the blond replied, gesturing to Trowa.

"Which means…" Duo gulped.

Quatre nodded. "WuFei chose his room as soon as we got here and hasn't been seen or heard from since," he replied.

"I'm going to follow his example," Heero commented, heading down the hall and claiming the room across from WuFei's shut door.

Trowa closed his book, stood up, and grabbed his bag. "I'm feeling tired as well," was all he said in explanation as he also headed down the hall. He chose the room next to Heero's and shut his door softly.

Duo paled further and collapsed to the floor. "Quat…"

The blond knelt beside Duo. "I'm sorry, but I don't have much to tell you. He was very quiet the entire mission."

"What about your space heart? Anything? Anything at all?" Duo's voice was getting panicked.

Quatre shook his head sadly. "He kept himself very closely guarded," he answered apologetically.

Duo's breathing shook. "Shit. I'd rather know he hates me and wants to feed me my balls on a stick than know absolutely nothing!" Duo whimpered loudly. A thought occurred to him. "Does he even remember?"

"I don't know. The only thing I can tell you is that he doesn't know you and Heero are here."

"Fuck!"

"It's going to be hard to avoid him, Duo."

"I know. He won't hide in his room, thinking I'm not here…I'd have to hide in mine," Duo sighed defeatedly.

"Duo. Why don't you at least see how he reacts to your being here before making yourself stir-crazy?"

"I—I can't, Quat! I'm scared! I'm more afraid of him right now than I've ever been of anything! I'd rather take on all of OZ and its entire mobile doll fleet with a wooden sword and paper shield than face him!"

Quatre managed to suppress a chuckle at the image that presented. "Duo. Calm down. I really don't think WuFei will kill you, or 'feed you your balls on a stick', as you put it. Heero might, but I don't think WuFei would."

"I dunno. After this, I wouldn't blame him if he did," Duo sighed.

Quatre yawned. "I'm going to head to bed, Duo. I'll take the room next to WuFei's; you can have the one next to Trowa's. How's that sound?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. That way he'll have to open two doors and cross the hall to kill me instead of just breaking the wall down," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Quatre stifled a chuckle. "Duo, I really think you're overreacting. You honestly think he'd kill you over this?"

"If he remembers? I'd be lucky to get out of a coma three years from now with what he'll probably do to me."

Quatre shook his head. "Duo, you look tired. Go to bed and try to sleep, alright? Maybe things will look better in the morning."

"If by better you mean you'll be digging my grave, yeah, I guess."

"Stop being so pessimistic. Maybe…maybe there was more to this…event…than you think. After all, you were drunk at the time, right?"

Duo looked at Quatre like he'd grown a second head. "You…think so?"

"I don't know, Duo. You don't remember everything. For all we know, he doesn't even remember it happened. But that doesn't mean there isn't a silver lining here. Just…try to look on the bright side of things. Look at what's possible." Quatre yawned again.

"Go to bed, Quat. You're tired. I don't really feel like sleeping just yet. I'm thinking I may play Solitaire for a few hours or something," Duo said, patting his friend's shoulder.

Quatre nodded. "Do try and rest some, though," he said as he stood up and headed to the living room for his bag. He could feel Duo's eyes on him as he slung the bag over his shoulder and headed for his room.

_Duo…Please try to look on the bright side, even if the chance is slim. I didn't have the heart to tell you, but part of why I didn't feel anything from him was because I felt so much from you. I can tell you're hurting, but…I really think you shouldn't run from this._

**A/N:** Okay, part 3 done. Let me know what you think, guys! This was a little longer, but hopefully not too long. I hope to be done with part 4/chapter 3 soon!


	4. Chapter 3:WuFei

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A/N: My plot bunnies grew fangs…and they're being evil! I'm mean to the poor guy in this chapter…don't worry…I'll try to make it up to him later

another little note: I got a few reviews in which ppl commented that they thought I had had Duo with Heero… just to let you guys know, I have to say I'm not against the pairing, it's just not one of my favorites. I actually like to play around with the boys quite a bit, so more often than not I won't have 1x2 going on, hehe

Disclaimer: duh. Don't own them.

Warning: Language again. These boys are such potty-mouths. Or, rather, I'm making them into potty-mouths

Chapter 3: WuFei

WuFei woke up and glanced at the clock he'd set upon the nightstand. 5:30 a.m. was a little early to be getting up, even for him, but he had slept quite a bit on the ride to the safe house. With a shrug, he rolled over and out of bed. He walked over to the door, where he'd set his duffel bag earlier, and pulled out a fresh pair of white pants, a clean navy tanktop, a new pair of boxers, and the toiletries he was going to need.

Opening the door to his room, he noticed two of the three doors across the hall were shut. _Trowa and Quatre are still in bed. Good. Let them sleep-I could use a bit of time to think. _ He turned to his left and headed toward the bathroom at the end of the hall, passing a third closed door. He didn't give it a second thought, however, and shut the bathroom door behind him.

He tossed the clean clothes to the floor and turned on the shower water, nice and hot, then placed his shampoo, conditioner, and soap on the edge of the tub. He was definitely looking forward to a hot shower; his muscles could use a bit of relaxing at the moment.

He yanked out his hair tie, letting the sleek black hair fall around his face. He crossed his arms and grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, tossing it to the floor, away from his clean clothes. With one swift motion, his pants and boxers joined the shirt.

Stepping into the shower, he let the hot water soak into him, purposely trying not to think. He didn't want to ruin the small bit of relaxation he was going to get from this by thinking too hard about…things…

_Knock it off. You're going to ruin it. Just don't think. _With a sigh, he grabbed the shampoo, squeezed some into his hand, and set the bottle down with one hand as the other brought the shampoo up and into his hair. He worked the shampoo into thick lather and, much to his dismay, found his thoughts wandering once again. _Damn it. Can't you ever just enjoy something without thinking?_ He scolded himself mentally.

Then again…acting without thinking was exactly what had gotten him into his current situation. _Damn you, Chang. You know better than ALL of this! And look where you've gotten yourself. a mental shrug At least you don't have to face him anytime soon. That will give you time to get everything sorted out the way it should be. Maybe he'll just avoid you… or you can avoid him…_

But that's being cowardly. You shouldn't just avoid him…besides. Maybe nothing happened. Maybe…he drove you back to the house because he could tell you were in no condition to drive…

But I walked. I didn't drive. So how the hell did I get back to my room? Wait…I didn't get to my…that was……Duo's…

Dammit! You're not supposed to be thinking about this right now! Oh, shit. The sudden cold of the water drew him out of his thoughts. He hurried and rinsed the shampoo from his hair, skipped the conditioner and went straight for the soap, washing himself quickly.

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel off the towel rack above the toilet and wrapping it around his waist.

He sighed. _So much for a nice relaxing shower…_ WuFei began to dry himself off with the towel, wringing out his hair with it before tossing it over the shower curtain rod.

Just as he finished pulling on his boxers, his stomach growled, demanding attention. With a slightly amused smile, he finished dressing, pulled his hair back into its usual ponytail, and headed down the hall toward the kitchen.

As he turned the corner into the kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks. There, sitting at the kitchen table, sleeping with his head on a pile of cards, was Duo.

__

What in the hell is he doing here?! Suddenly, the thought of three closed bedroom doors came to him. _Three doors closed, four claimed rooms total, then…Heero and… They're sharing our safe house…_

He couldn't bring himself to move from his place, half in the kitchen, half out. The little bit of relaxation from his shower gone, his mind flew into overdrive. _He can't be here…he just can't…What if…what if something did happen that night? Then what? How can I explain to him that I don't even remember it? That I don't know how I ended up in his room…his bed… But he was gone. Maybe nothing happened after all. I woke up to his room, sure…but…he wasn't there…I've got no proof that anything happened…_

Duo stirred, his violet eyes fluttering open. He lifted his head from the table slowly, the Ace of Spades sticking to his face. With a groan, he plucked away the card.

"Card of Death, huh? Why am I not surprised?" he mumbled, having apparently not noticed WuFei's presence behind him.

__

You can't just stand here, Chang. Do something, WuFei thought to himself, feeling his stomach growl inaudibly. With a silent sigh to regain what he could of his composure, he stepped into the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge. He heard Duo gasp behind him, but neither pilot said a word.

WuFei grabbed the apple juice from the fridge and set it on the counter. He could feel Duo's eyes on him as took a glass from the cabinet and proceeded to fill it with the juice; he then placed the juice back in the fridge and closed the door. Without looking back at the American, WuFei broke the silence.

"What are you doing here?" he spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.

"I-uh-This is where Heero and I are staying til our missons tell us to move," Duo answered weakly, his voice shaking.

__

So at least I'm not the only one shaken up by…whatever happened… Gods, I can't believe I don't even remember! "I see." He raised the glass to his lips and took a sip.

"Yeah…I…was surprised when I saw Quat and Trowa here…"

WuFei could hear Duo cleaning up the cards. "Any idea how long it'll be before you change locations?"

"No, 'fraid not."

WuFei glanced behind him at the sound of footsteps. "Good morning, Trowa."

Trowa gave a shrug and sat down across from Duo at the kitchen table. "I suppose."

"Didn't sleep well?" Duo asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"Apparently, none of us did," Quatre's voice came from the doorway. Behind him, Heero was covering a yawn with his hand.

"Quatre," WuFei began, his voice biting. "Why didn't you inform me that they were going to be here as well?"

"I'm sorry, WuFei. I guess it just slipped my mind," the blond answered with a nervous smile.

WuFei picked up the look Trowa shot Quatre at that statement. Trowa, however, said nothing.

"I see. Try not to leave out details like that next time," Wufei replied, staring straight at the Arab. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duo flinch a bit. Wufei finished his juice, placed the glass in the sink, and headed to the glass doors on the other side of the kitchen. "I'll be training outside. Call me when breakfast is ready," he said, just before shutting the door behind him.

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A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I really like hearing what you guys think! I hope to get more up really soon!

And just in case some of you didn't get the "card of death" thing, supposedly, in doing tarot readings with regular playing cards, the ace of spades is the death card. I figured that would be an appropriate card to have stick to duo's face, not because I'm planning on killing him off, but because he's so convinced that if WuFei remembers, he's going to kill duo for it.


	5. Chapter 4:Duo

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A/N: Here it is! Chapter 4! Hope this was soon enough!

Mysticheero: your review gave my plot bunnies an idea for this part…a little one, but who knows, it may grow. Watch for the very slight hint of something "dodgy"….mwahaha…;; And hope the donating blood went well for you!

Standard disclaimers apply, as well as the usual language warning thing. I hate doing this, but it's necessary. Don't wanna get sued.

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Chapter 4: Duo

"Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Quatre commented once WuFei had closed the door.

_Or in the wrong bed, in his case…_Duo thought a bit darkly. "So why didn't you guys sleep well?"

Duo noticed the slight tinge of pink that crossed Quatre's face and raised an eyebrow at it. The blond turned even redder and hurried to busy himself with breakfast as Trowa answered.

"I was kept up most of the night…" he paused, ever so slightly…_Is Trowa…blushing?!_ "…by this odd feeling. Like something…wasn't right."

"Wasn't right? You mean like we were bein' watched or something?" Duo asked.

Trowa shook his head no, as Heero spoke.

"I felt it too, I think. Whatever it was. It felt…tense…" he replied as he took the seat between Trowa and Duo at the table.

"Like when you walk in on two people having a very private conversation?" Quatre spoke softly, stirring something in a bowl.

Heero nodded.

"Something like that, yes," Trowa answered.

"You guys were probably feeling what I was feeling, then. My space heart was acting up all night with that tension," Quatre told them.

Trowa muttered something almost inaudibly, a slight pink tinge crossing his cheeks again. _If I didn't know better, I could have sworn I heard him say 'yes, I know'._

Duo raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut about it. "So, whoever was causing it was pretty worked up then, huh?"

Quatre nodded. "VERY worked up."

_It was probably me then. Like WuFei would ever get worked up over anything other than injustice and the weakness of women._

He was just so…emotionless…this morning. More so than Trowa usually is. At least, until Quat walked in and then, well, yeah, then he was worked up alright. Can't say I blame him, though. I'd probably be mad, too, if I was in his shoes. Wish I knew just what his shoes were, though…

Quatre continued busying himself in the kitchen, turning on the stove and setting a skillet on the burner, then setting a pot of coffee to brew.

"Whatcha makin, Quat?" Duo asked, not wanting to sit in the awkward silence that had formed.

"Pancakes. That okay with everyone?"

"Sounds great! It's been I-don't-know-how-long since I've had a good stack of pancakes!"

Quatre laughed as he poured some of the batter into neat little circles on the skillet.

Duo found his gaze wandering out of the kitchen and through the sliding glass doors, focusing on the person on the other side.

The chinese pilot was engrossed in his exercises, moving fluidly through the movements he performed every morning.

__

He really is gorgeous…and he probably doesn't even know it. And sure, he's not the most sociable guy in the world, but he's a good person. Outside the missions, he won't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it. He doesn't go picking fights with people, doesn't insult someone unless they start it… Shoot, he'd sooner shoo a fly out of the house than go for the swatter! But that's what I like about him. Gorgeous, confident but not conceited, and once you get past the prickly outside, he's warm and squishy on the inside…I think…

The chinese pilot whipped around suddenly, locking his gaze with Duo's.

_Shit! He knows I was watching him! It's not like I meant to, but…_ Duo's heartbeat raced, but he couldn't bring himself to turn away from those dark eyes.

Without warning, WuFei turned and stormed to one side, out of the view of the doors.

_Dammit…I'm sorry, WuFei… I didn't want to make you mad…_

"How much longer on the pancakes?" Trowa's voice hauled Duo's mind back inside the kitchen.

"About ten minutes. Would you mind letting WuFei know?" the Arab replied.

Trowa nodded and set down his coffee cup, then headed for the back door.

Duo glanced at the spot on the table in front of him. A cup of coffee was there, still steaming. _Quatre must have put it there._ He smiled weakly, figuring Quatre hadn't bothered to interrupt his thoughts, since he most likely had a good idea where said thoughts were anyway.

He picked up the cup and drank a sip of the bitter liquid. He didn't feel like bothering with cream or sugar today. Not with his mood…stressed out by having to live with WuFei for no-clue-how-long, everyone apparently sensing his angst over the situation, and now having been caught watching WuFei and thus pissing off said pilot.

Trowa returned only a moment later, informing them that WuFei would be in in a few.

Duo continued to hold his cup, staring blankly into the black liquid it contained. Despite his enthusiasm about the pancakes, he truly didn't have much of an appetite. He hoped Quatre wouldn't take offense to his not eating much this morning. Maybe he'd be hungrier by lunch.

Of course, not eating much would set an alarm off to the others that something wasn't right with him, assuming they cared enough to hear it. He figured WuFei and Quatre would be the only ones who would care to notice, and now WuFei probably didn't give a damn about anything he said or did.

_I just keep fucking things up. No matter what I do, or what I say, the fact that I exist seems to be quite a problem to everyone else. After thinking about it last night, I do kinda want to talk to WuFei, but…I don't know how much he remembers, or if he remembers anything at all. And if he doesn't, I can't just go opening my mouth and telling him what happened. That would make him even more upset with me… Though I don't really know how that's possible._

Duo didn't bother to glance up at the sound of the sliding doors; he knew exactly who it was and that they wouldn't want to have him look at them again. He was able to see, out of the corner of his eye, when WuFei sat down in the chair on the other side of Trowa. Leaving one chair between himself and Duo for Quatre. Duo wasn't surprised. He had expected as much.

"Right on time, WuFei," Quatre said cheerfully, setting a large plate stacked high with pancakes in the center of the table. He turned back around and grabbed silverware, butter, and syrup and set them on the table as well before taking his seat.

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A/N: Okay, so I didn't really know where to stop here, but I felt the need for a time change as well as a POV change, so next chapter will be later in the day and from someone else's viewpoint. I'm going to try to stick with just the three (Duo, Quatre, WuFei), but if my plot bunnies get really evil, they may try bringing someone else into this…sigh they're coming up with ideas for a new pov right now. Damn things…I hate them sometimes. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! I'll try to keep updating this fast, but with school and work I may not have enough time to write it as fast as I'd like to.


	6. Chapter 5:Quatre

**A/N: **pooey.  No one reviewed!  Either that, or no one bothered to read it.  Oh well. Despite the lack of reviews, here's chapter 5!

Chapter 5

            Quatre flopped down onto Trowa's bed with a sigh.

            "Quatre?"  Trowa asked softly, taking a seat beside the blond.

            "Hm?"

            "What's with them?"

            _Uh-oh…I really hate keeping secrets from him…_ "With whom?"

            "Duo and WuFei.  I'd say they've been at each other's throats, but they haven't said a word to each other."

            Quatre sighed.  "I hate to say this, Trowa, but…It's not my place to tell."

            Trowa nodded.  "I see."

            "Believe me.  I wish they'd just talk to each other and settle this, but based on their behavior at breakfast…I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," Quatre told him, shaking his head.

            "Is it really that big a deal?"

            "Yeah.  It could change _everything_ between them."

            "For the better, or for the worse?"

            "Whichever they choose," the blond replied with a shrug. 

            Trowa sighed.

            "I'm not going to force them into anything, but I am trying to encourage Duo to talk to him about this."

            "Why only Duo?"

            "Because WuFei doesn't know I know.  Duo called me up after…'it'…and told me."

            "Hm."  Trowa pulled Quatre closer, his arm around the blond's waist. 

            Quatre sighed and leaned into Trowa's embrace.  "I wish there was more I could do for them," he whispered.

            "I know, love.  I know.  But all you _can_ do is weather the storm," Trowa told him softly.

            "I know.  But what scares me is that this may just be the calm before the storm.  The real storm will begin whenever it is they stop avoiding each other and actually start talking about it.  Hell could break loose."

            Trowa kissed the top of Quatre's head.  "You know I'm here to help, however I can."

            Quatre nodded.  "You're the greatest, Trowa."

            A knock on the door interrupted their comfortable silence.

            "Trowa?" It was Duo.

            "Yes?"

            "Have you seen Quat? I can't find him anywhere."

            "I'm in here, Duo," Quatre answered.

            Trowa began to remove his arm from the smaller pilot's waist, but Quatre quickly shot him a severe look that said '_don't even think about it'._

            The door opened slightly as Duo peeked his head in.  "Well, no wonder I couldn't find you."  He paused,  a grin sliding across his face as he eyed the pair.  "Aww, don't you guys look cute."

            Quatre blushed slightly.  "What's up, Duo?"

            "I just…wanted to talk…you know.."

            Quatre laughed lightly.  "You haven't talked to him, have you?"

            Duo slid inside the room and shut the door behind him.  "Other than a tiny conversation before you guys were up, no."

            "Oh?"  _Did they actually talk about it?_

            "Yeah, but not about…that…  He was definitely not happy to see me.  Even asked if I had any idea when I'd be leaving…I guess he remembers…"

            _sigh  Of course not.  Duo's too afraid to bring it up._  "I still say you need to talk to him, Duo.  Nothing will be solved by avoiding him."

            "Heh.  He's the one doing the avoiding.  Every time I walk into a room, he drops everything and walks out.  It's almost like he's more afraid of me than I am of him, the way he's been acting."

            "That doesn't sound like him," Trowa voiced.

            _It doesn't sound like him at all…I wonder what's going on in WuFei's head…perhaps…he really doesn't remember…at least, not everything…  _"Maybe…"

            Another knock on the door.

            "Barton."

            "WuFei?"

            Quatre watched Duo's eyes widen.  _Well, this is a surprise._

            "Can I speak with you?  Alone?"

            _What could WuFei want to speak to Trowa about?  If they had a mission, he'd just out and say it…_

            Trowa stood up.  "I'll leave you two to talk," he said, excusing himself as he stepped out the door.

            Quatre and Duo listened to their first few words intently.

            "What can I do for you, WuFei?"

            "Not here.  Come with me."

            Quatre sighed as their footsteps faded.  _Guess I won't get to hear it after all._

            "Blink.  Now that was unexpected," Duo commented after a moment.

            "It certainly was," Quatre agreed.  "I wonder what he wanted to talk about…"

**A/N:** Sorry this one's a bit short.  Next should be longer!


	7. Chapter 6:WuFei

**A/N:WuFei** may be a bit OOC here, but I think, given the circumstances, the poor boy's allowed to be.

Warning for language, standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 6

            _I can't believe I'm going to do this…but it's driving me nuts.  I have to talk to _someone_, and there's no way in hell I'm talking to Maxwell about this.  I don't want to deal with Winner and his space heart crap, and Yuy's a fucking brick wall._

            WuFei led Trowa to the back yard of the safe house.

            "What's this about, WuFei?" Trowa asked once the Chinese boy stopped leading and started pacing.

            _Here goes nothing._  "I'm sure you've noticed the…tension…"

            "Between you and Duo?  WuFei, even Heero felt it."

            WuFei sighed.

            "What's all this about, WuFei?  It seems like something happened between the two of you on your last mission together, and it's bothering you still."

            "Astute as ever, Barton.  The problem is, I don't remember exactly what that something is," WuFei replied, still pacing.

            Trowa arched an eyebrow.  "You don't…remember?"

            "We completed the mission.  Maxwell insisted we go out to 'celebrate'."

            "Which is Duo for 'I'm dragging your ass to a nightclub'.  He's done that to us all, I believe." 

            "He insisted on getting alcohol, despite our being underage."

            "That's never stopped him before."

            "At one point, I remember thinking, 'I can barely stand, and there he is, ordering another drink?!'  Next thing I know, I'm waking up with a hangover in an unfamiliar room.  Once said room stopped spinning, I realized it was Maxwell's room in the safe house.  He was gone, and this morning was the first time I've seen him since.  That's all I know."

            WuFei had stopped pacing and was now standing, arms crossed behind his back, staring at his feet.

            "Why don't you just ask him what happened?" Trowa spoke after a few minutes of silence.

            WuFei laughed, a deep, haunting, near maniacal laugh.  "And let Maxwell know I can't hold my liquor like he can?"

            Trowa sighed.  "WuFei, don't be stubborn.  It takes an immense amount of strength to admit one's weaknesses."

            WuFei chuckled, but the sound was light, defeated.  "Then let me admit something, Barton.  Since the day I met that braided fool, I haven't been able to get him out of my mind.  Despite the harsh tones and name calling," _Why the HELL am I telling him this?!?!  I must be out of my mind!_  "I know he's not as foolish as he seems.  There's more to him than he lets on…"

            "You have a crush on him," Trowa interrupted matter-of-factly.

            "Yes, damn it!" WuFei shouted, letting loose the reigns of control he always held so tight.  "I can't explain it.  I've even dreamt of him…and I don't dream…"  He had lowered his voice, but the emotion was still running rampant, and he made no move to restrain it.  It felt good, to release like this.

            Trowa crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the wall of the house.  "You _do_ know he flirts with you…"

            WuFei's gaze shifted, wide-eyed, to meet Trowa's.  "_What?!_"

            Trowa covered his chuckle with a cough into his hand.  "You didn't know."

            "Should I have?"

            "Even Heero does."

            _I must be more of a brick wall than I thought._  "He…"

            "The way he flirts with you, it would seem he shares your feelings, WuFei."

            WuFei blinked a few times in surprise, thinking of how the braided pilot acts around him.  "He's like that with Yuy, too."

            "No.  There's differences.  He shrugs it off when it's Yuy.  When it's you, however…it's much more serious.  The rejection in his eyes when you ignore him is genuine, WuFei."

            WuFei struggled to understand what Trowa was telling him.  _Duo…flirts with me?  And is serious?  Am I truly so clueless that I've never noticed?  How…how could I have never seen it, as much as I watch him?  _Despite his inner surprise, he kept the expression on his face relatively calm.  "You're not serious."

            "I am.  I wouldn't joke about something like this, WuFei."

            "Fuck." 

            "So.  Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

            "Is there anything I can do?  I don't even know what happened that night…if anything happened…"

            "I have reason to believe something happened.  On what level, however, only Duo, and possibly Quatre, knows."

            "Wait.  Winner?"

            "He mentioned something to me about Duo having talked to him after that mission.  He wouldn't tell me what Duo told him, however, saying it wasn't his place."

            WuFei sighed.  This didn't help things at all. 

            "Duo seems shaken about it, from what was said in my room."

            "Damn.  What in the hells happened that night?!"

            "I can see why Quatre keeps insisting Duo talk to you about it.  I have to agree with him.  The two of you need to talk about…whatever it is that happened that night.  Until then, you can't make any decision on how to handle it," Trowa said calmly.

            "I know, I know.  But what if he takes offense to the fact that I don't remember it?  What if…"  _What if I kissed him…or worse…_

            "What if what?"

            "What if…I did something to show my interest in him?  He could take my not remembering as my not really meaning it."

            "True, or he could take it as you were drunk and blacked out.  Possibly didn't even mean to say it."

            "But I'm brutally honest when I'm drunk, I do know that much."

            "But does he?"

            WuFei paused his resumed pacing and thought.  "I don't know," he replied pensively.

            "Here's what I would recommend, WuFei.  Talk to him.  See what he remembers…if anything.  Tell him what you remember.  Then, go from there.  Base what you say to him on his reactions and his words.  If you want to tell him how you feel, go ahead.  But you're the only one who can decide to tell him or not.  And he's your only source of information," Trowa advised.

            "And Winner."

            "But I doubt Quatre would tell you.  He'd most likely tell you to talk to Duo about it."

            "Point.  Damn.  There's no way around talking to him, is there?"

            "You could avoid him for the rest of your life, but what good would that do you, never knowing what happened, never knowing what could have happened between you two?"

            WuFei thought about Trowa's words, resuming his pacing, but in smaller circles.  _He's right.   Could I live asking myself if there could have been something between us?  Could I live…with no clue of what happened that night?  _He shook his head.  _No.  It would make me crazy.  Better to sort things out sooner rather than later.  What if nothing happened, though?  I'm going crazy over this for nothing.  But if something did…then what?  Will he be mad?  How far did it go?  Did I tell him…?  Damn!_

"WuFei."

            WuFei pulled himself out of his thoughts at the sound of Trowa's voice.

            "It's raining.  We should get inside."

            WuFei nodded, following as Trowa headed back toward the house.  Trowa stopped him just outside the door, however. 

            "WuFei.  Try to be normal with him.  I would imagine he's having a difficult time dealing with complete avoidance.  Being ignored is one thing.  Avoiding is a whole other story."

            WuFei took a deep breath and nodded.  "I'll try."

            They entered through the door to the kitchen together to find Quatre and Duo puttering around, most likely making dinner.

            "Oh, hey guys," Quatre said with a smile.

            Trowa nodded once with a smile before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

            Duo looked up from chopping vegetables, his eyes wide and his face paler than it should be.

            _Why…does he seem afraid of me? ...Just…don't run, Chang._  "Winner.  Maxwell," WuFei acknowledged with a nod.

            "Hey, Trowa, …WuFei…" Duo spoke, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

            _My full name.__  Something _had_ to have happened.  He never uses my full name.  Don't run.  Sit.  It won't be as awkward with Barton and Winner in the room.  They won't let it get awkward…right?_  WuFei silently took the seat beside Trowa. 

            Quatre gazed out the window.  "Start raining on you, did it?" he asked with a smile.

            Trowa nodded. 

            Duo turned back to the vegetables, cutting them more slowly.  From his seat, WuFei could see Duo's hand shaking slightly.

            "Don't cut a finger off, Maxwell," WuFei warned, his tone bored.  _Tease him about it…like you would have before……_

            Duo stopped; WuFei saw him swallow hard.  "I won't…" he answered, his hand shaking harder than it previously was.

            WuFei rolled his eyes.  _At this rate, he won't get anything done._  WuFei stood up and walked toward Duo, only letting a slight bit of annoyance show.   "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.  Winner, how many times have I told you Maxwell should only be in the kitchen when he's eating?"  He grabbed the knife from Duo's hand and proceeded to finish chopping the vegetables.

            Duo backed away, but the corners of his lips twitched, almost as though they wanted to smile.

            _That's it, Maxwell.  Relax…It's not like I'm  going to kill you or anything…_

WuFei set the knife down next to the cutting board, then returned to his seat. 

            Duo also headed to the table, taking the seat across from Trowa, and rested his cheek on his fist.  His eyes darted around the room, occasionally glancing to WuFei, but never lingering, never meeting the other's gaze.

            _What happened that night that he's so nervous around me?  Damn, if only I could remember!_

            Silence ruled in the kitchen, but it wasn't awkward.  Well, maybe a little, between WuFei and Duo, but it was the most relaxed it'd been all day.  And the longer WuFei stayed in the kitchen, the more evident Duo's smile became.  And though he didn't show it, WuFei felt like a weight had been lifted from him.  He was still heavy with the questions, but that was to be expected.

**A/N:** Okay, this one was definitely longer than the last.  Hope you guys enjoyed it, getting another peek into WuFei's mind.  More to come, I promise!

Wow, I'm really flying through this one…At 7 parts, it's the longest fic I've posted here yet!


	8. Chapter 7:Duo

**A/N:** I'm back, posting part 8/ chapter 7! Up until lately, I've been averaging a part a day, the rate I've been going on this one. That's pretty damn impressive, if I do say so myself. (which I just did )

Standard disclaimer. Don't own them. Just wish I did.

And if you don't like bad language, you probably shouldn't read. It's not every other word or anything, but it's there.

Chapter 7

Duo was unstoppable, almost literally bouncing off the walls. His door was locked, no one would see this sudden bout of insane hyperness unless he let them in, but by God he had way too much energy to just sit there! WuFei hadn't run from the room! He'd actually been in the kitchen, with Duo, for more time than it took him to eat!

_Maybe it's not as bad as I thought! He was acting just like he used to, before…eheh… Well, anyway, he was actually being normal! Well, normal for him, anyway…And I couldn't ask for more! I feel like screaming…but Heero'd kill me for it. What a spoil-sport. _

_ WuFei definitely seemed to be in a better mood after his talk with Trowa…Wonder what they talked about…_

A knock on the door stopped Duo's bed-bouncing. He bounced to the floor and ran to the door, desperately hoping to see WuFei's face when he opened it.

"Oh, hi, Quat," he said disappointedly once he'd opened the door.

"Gee, Duo, could you be any less excited to see me?" Quatre teased with a laugh.

"I was just hoping…well…you know…"

"That I was WuFei?"

Duo nodded vigorously. "C'mon in!"

"So I take it you were celebrating that WuFei didn't avoid you?"

"Hell yeah! It was just like normal! Fei being just as grouchy as he always is!"

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it's a good thing," he said with a smile.

"It is, Quat! It's like he's trying not to let what happened affect him!"

"But don't you want it to affect him?"

"Not like that. I don't want him running every time he sees me. If it's that, or acting like nothing happened, I'll take nothing happened any day. If I had my way, he'd run up to me and pounce on me, and…" Duo felt his face turn bright red. "Ah, well, you get the picture."

Quatre laughed. "I certainly do. So, now that he's making the effort to be normal, are you going to try to talk to him about it?"

"I dunno. I mean, the more he acts like himself, the more I want to, but…what if he doesn't know all of what happened, and I tell him, an then he hates me? I'd rather leave it that he doesn't know."

"But he'd be upset if he ever found out that, even though you may not remember, you knew what happened that night and never told him."

"Ah, damn. You're probably right. I would be if I were in his shoes. Well fuck."

"Isn't that what got you in this situation in the first place?" Quatre teased again.

Duo stuck out his tongue. "Shut up, you."

Quatre laughed. "Well, it's good to see you in so good a mood, Duo. You being somber was getting to us all, I think."

"And to think. All it took to get me hyper like this was WuFei actually staying in the same room as me. It's almost absurd, if you think about it."

"It _is_ absurd, Duo. It's ridiculously absurd. Anyway, I just came to say goodnight. I'm going to bed, and you should do the same. You didn't get much sleep last night."

"I'll try, but damn, I've got so much energy right now, I don't know if I'll be able to," Duo replied with a shrug.

"As long as you try, Duo. At least try to rest, alright?" Quatre asked as he turned to leave.

Duo nodded. "I will. Night, Quat."

"Night, Duo." Quatre shut the door behind him, leaving Duo to revel in his hyperness.

_Damn. I haven't felt this good…ever, I think. I hope WuFei keeps this up…it'll be easy to just fall back to the old routine as long as he's in it too. If it's just me, I don't think I'll last._

Duo changed out of his clothes and into a pair of loose black pants and a purple T-shirt for pajamas. _Quat's__ right, I should try to sleep. _Duo let out a yawn. _I am tired. I didn't realize it til now. Maybe I'll have good dreams tonight…ehehehe…_

With that thought in mind, Duo flicked off the light and crawled into his bed. _G'night__, Fei. Pleasant dreams…_

_._

_._

_._

Duo awoke the next morning around 9. _Damn. Not late enough. Oh well. Guess I should get up._ With a groan, Duo rolled himself out of bed. He headed to his bag and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and a pair of jeans, then left his room and headed down the hall toward the bathroom. _Showertime__!!!_

He stepped into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. He turned on the water and stripped down, throwing his pajamas and boxers into a pile on the floor. He then began the tedious task of unbraiding his rope of hair, humming to himself.

With his hair successfully unbraided, he stepped into the shower and began singing to himself.

_"It's so all right!_

_ Maybe too right!_

_ Sono uchi kitto come to light_

_ It's so all right!_

_ Maybe too right! _

_ Hey you! Gaman-zuyoi n' da ne_

_ Mou machikutabireta…" _

Duo continued the song as he cleaned himself, taking extra care not to tangle his hair in the process. When the water started to run cold, he turned it off and stepped out, wrapping one towel around his waist and another around his hair. He hurried and dried off, still humming, then pulled on his clean boxers and jeans. He wrung out his hair with the towel, then tossed both wet towels over the shower rod to dry. With a bit of a bounce in his step, he unlocked and opened the door.

"Anyone ever tell you you take too long in the shower?" WuFei asked, leaning against the hall wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Mm…just you," Duo replied with a smile. _Oh, shit, he's seeing me with my hair down! ……Oh well…_

WuFei arched an eyebrow. "You didn't use all the hot water, did you?"

"Sorry, but, I think I did. You sure you don't need a cold shower?" Duo played with a wink.

"Very sure, Maxwell."

Duo shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied, heading back toward his room.

After shutting the door to his room, Duo fell back against the wall.

_ Oh. My. God. I can't believe I just said that! What the hell was I thinking?!?! ………Okay, calm down. Breathe, Duo. Breathe…_ Duo pushed himself off the wall and walked over to his dresser. He picked up his brush and ran it through his wet hair, brushing out the tangles. _He didn't…_seem_ angry or anything over that comment, though…_

_ I wonder if he saw my hair down that night…Probably not, since it was braided when I woke up…which means…This is the first time he's seen my hair down! Oi…_

Duo finished brushing his hair and braided it quickly, snapping a hair band around the end. He pulled a purple shirt from his dresser drawer and put it on as he walked out of his room and toward the kitchen, hurrying to quiet his growling stomach.

WuFei was seated at the table, a piece of paper in his hand.

"I thought you wanted a shower," Duo asked as he seated himself across from the Chinese pilot.

"Not a cold one," WuFei answered, sliding the paper across the table to Duo.

"What's this?"

"From Quatre. He, Trowa, and Heero have missions. They'll be gone for at least a week," WuFei replied.

With a hard swallow, Duo read the letter slowly

_Duo and WuFei,_

_Trowa__, Heero and I received missions very early this morning. We'll be gone for a week, assuming everything goes smoothly. If not, we'll definitely be gone longer._

_Given the tension between you two, I am loathe to leave, but this mission is imperative. Please try to get along, okay?_

_ See you BOTH when we get back._

_ Q_

Duo suddenly felt nauseous. _No! Quat! I need you here! You're my only string to sanity!_

WuFei arched an eyebrow. "Are you alright? You look pale…"

"Huh?...oh…y-yeah, I'm alright…I think…"

"Maxwell, your hands are shaking."

Duo looked down at his hands and the paper they still held. Sure enough, they were shaking hard. _No…I can't let him see me like this…not panicked…gotta…get to my room…_ "Heh…" He slowly stood up, his hand letting the note fall to the floor. "I…I think I just need to lie down…for a bit…" Duo swayed as his vision blurred, and vaguely picked out the sound of WuFei's voice calling him before everything went black.

**A/N: **Yay! Another chapter! Next one should be coming soon! Sorry this one was so short!

Oh, and for those of you who aren't familiar with the song Duo was singing, it's one of his image songs, called "It's So All Right". Lyrics can be found at animelyrics.com


	9. Chapter 8:WuFei

**A/N:** I'm back with another chapter. Things are going to get a bit more interesting since I've so conveniently gotten rid of the 'obstacles' (Q, T, H) And sorry this took so long! Got really busy with school and helping to run an anime convention (Ikasucon)…but here you go!

Chapter 8: WuFei

WuFei rushed over to Duo and managed to catch him before he hit the floor.

"Duo! Duo, wake up!" WuFei checked his pulse, fearing something odd, but noted with a sigh of relief that he was fine…just passed out, nothing more. "Dammit, Duo. What got into you?" he asked the sleeping bundle in his arms.

Carefully, WuFei bridal-carried Duo to the living room couch. He lay him down gently, then knelt on the floor in front of the sofa.

He brushed the bangs from Duo's face as he whispered, "Why did that note scare you, hm?"

_Could he be nervous about it being just us? ……I know I'm trying not to be…_

WuFei got up, retrieved a spare blanket from the hall closet, and lay it over Duo, covering him from the shoulders down.

He returned to his kneeling position and stayed beside the unconscious pilot, his hands nervously fidgeting in his lap._ What am I going to do now? How…how am I going to deal with it? With Trowa and Quatre, and hell, even Heero, around, it was easy to act like nothing had changed. But now… Duo…if you're scared about them being gone, I'm sure I'm every bit as scared as you are. _ "I have to be strong…to get us through this…" he whispered aloud.

.

About half an hour later, WuFei watched as Duo began to slowly regain consciousness. He allowed himself a small smile as the violet eyes fluttered open.

"Welcome back," he greeted softly.

Duo groaned. "What happened?" he asked as he tried to sit up.

WuFei pushed the American back down. "You passed out. You should probably stay lying down for a little while longer," he replied.

"I…passed…oh…right. Q's letter…" Duo let out a tired sigh.

WuFei nodded. "Duo…If I may ask…what about it got you so worked up that you passed out?"

Duo stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then, suddenly, turned his gaze to WuFei. "Did you just call me Duo?"

WuFei nodded. _Is it really such a big deal?_

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You never have before. It's always been Maxwell to you."

"Would you prefer I call you Maxwell?"

"Well, I-uh…no…it's just…ah, hell. It's just…weird. Do you plan to keep calling me Duo, or is this just a one time thing?"

WuFei couldn't help but smile. "Which would you like?"

Duo blinked, as though in surprise. "Does…does it…really matter?"

WuFei shrugged. "The question here is, does it matter to you?"

Duo grabbed one of the sofa pillows from behind his head and threw it into WuFei's face. "Stop being so damn cryptic! Give me a straight answer for once!

WuFei smiled. "It's good to see you back to normal," he told him, keeping the sofa pillow in his lap.

Duo sighed loudly. "Why the hell do I put up with you?! And what the hell's with you, anyway? You've been smiling like crazy. That's just…out of character for you."

WuFei turned his gaze down to the pillow in his lap. _What should I tell him? I…I should tell him the truth…I suppose…_ "I'm just…doing something I haven't done in quite some time."

"And just what would that be?" Duo asked, his expression confused.

WuFei sighed. _And out it goes… _"I'm not hiding behind my usual mask. I'm letting out the side of myself that hasn't been seen in years." He slowly turned his eyes back to the other pilot. "You're seeing a side of me I haven't shown to anyone since I was twelve."

Duo gasped. "But…why? Why now? Why to me?"

WuFei shrugged. "I…I'm not sure, really. All I know is how scared I was when you passed out…and how relieved I am now that you're awake."

"You were…scared? You, the great solitary dragon, Chang WuFei, were _scared?_" Duo began to laugh. "That's a great one. You…scared! I don't believe it for a second."

_He's…laughing?!?! I tell him I was scared, and he laughs about it?! _"Damnit, Duo, I'm just as human as you are! I'm not some emotionless bastard!" WuFei exclaimed, pounding his fists into the defenseless pillow. "I'm not Heero, for the gods' sake! I feel things when I run around murdering people, enemy or not! I think about the families I'm tearing apart, the sadness I'm causing! I think about the husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters that are losing family members at my hands!" He paused, looking away from Duo and blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. When he spoke again, his tone was soft. "We're all human. Us, OZ, Romafeller…ultimately, we're no different. We all care, on some level. We all are affected by what we do, who we're near. We just have different ways of showing it…"

WuFei felt Duo's hand upon his shoulder. "'Fei…I…"

"It's alright." He took a few deep breaths, hoping to calm himself.

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have laughed. I mean…I dunno. I guess I'm just so used to seeing your 'mask', as you called it…I never…really thought that you might be hiding behind your behavior… I never thought I wasn't the only one who hid from it all," Duo replied softly. "I'm sorry."

**A/N:** Okay, I know, crappy place to end the chapter. But I want to show a bit of what Duo's thinking while all this is going on, and I refuse to switch p.o.v. in the middle of a chapter….at least in this story. More to come, I promise!


End file.
